We’ve pondered the appeal of the cast for David O. Russell‘s next film, which includes Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Amy Adams,Louis C.K., Jennifer Lawrence, Alessandro Nivola, Elisabeth Rohm,Dawn Olivieri, Jack Huston, Michael Pena and Robert De Niro. We’ve chuckled at their exaggerated hairstyles. And we’ve assumed that the successful streak for the guy who made The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook will continue with an adaptation of the true story about an FBI sting operation that jailed several congressmen and other public officials.

When the script by Eric Warren Singer first became a big thing in Hollywood, it was called American Bullshit. That was changed to Untitled David O. Russell Abscam Project when the director came on board. Now the much more salable American Hustle will be used when the film goes out to theaters in December. Read More »

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Silver Linings Playbook is still in theaters in some markets, but David O. Russell‘s already moving full speed ahead on his next project. For the past few months, we’ve watched as he’s picked up one A-list actor after another for his untitled Abscam pic. Now, with its spring start date just around the corner, a couple more pieces are falling into place.

Alessandro Nivola has just entered talks to join the star-studded cast, which also includes Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence, and Louis C.K. Considering that lineup, it’s no wonder Sony has big award-season hopes for this one — it’s just announced a very Oscar-friendly Christmas release date for the pic. Hit the jump to keep reading.

David O. Russell once had a reputation for being difficult to work with, but he’s changed a bit in recent years. And when he finds a relationship that clicks he likes to stick with it. His untitled next project already has him re-teaming with The Fighter actors Christian Bale and Amy Adams, and Silver Linings Playbook star Bradley Cooper. Now he’s bringing his other Silver Linings Playbook lead, Jennifer Lawrence, into the fold as well.

The A-list cast of David O. Russell‘s next project already includes Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams, and now he’s making room for one more. But the actor he has in mind isn’t your typical movie star. Louis C.K. has entered talks to play a key role in Russell’s untitled new con man drama, formerly called American Bullshit. Hit the jump to keep reading.

David O. Russell and The Fighter were good to Christian Bale — they gave the actor a chance to really dig deep into a role rich with dramatic potential, and he took home an Oscar for it. Now Bale is going back to work for Russell, in the film once called American Bullshit, which is working without a title for now.

Bale joins Bradley Cooper, fellow Fighter vet Amy Adams, and Jeremy Renner in the film, which is based on a true story of a con man recruited to take down other con men. Read More »

Turns out David O. Russell‘s going to have himself a The Fighter reunion on the set of his upcoming crime drama after all — it just won’t be with Christian Bale. Though we learned yesterday that Bale had dropped out of the project formerly titled American Bullshit, to be replaced by Jeremy Renner, today comes news that Bale and Russell’s Fighter colleague Amy Adams has signed on for the film. She joins Renner and Bradley Cooper in the film, which is based on the real-life FBI “Abscam” sting of the ’70s and ’80s. Read more after the jump.

When we last checked in on David O. Russell‘s crime drama American Bullshit, it was looking like a double reunion for the director. His Oscar-winning The Fighter actor Christian Bale was rumored for one of the leads, while Silver Linings Playbook star Bradley Cooper was in talks for the other.

Since then, however, Bale’s dropped out, and Russell’s now adding another fast-rising star to the roster. The ubiquitous Jeremy Renner is reportedly negotiating to replace Bale as FBI agent Jimmy Boyle, who teams up with “the world’s greatest con man” (Cooper) for a sting. Oh, and the movie’s not called American Bullshit any more — it’s going without a title at the moment until filmmakers and marketers can come up with something less profane. Read more details after the jump.

The last we heard of Sony’s American Bullshit, David O. Russell‘s reps were adamantly denying his involvement in the picture, as well as the rumor that he’d cast his The Fighter star Christian Bale in the lead role. As of today, however, it seems that not only are Russell and Bale indeed attached, they’re about to add a couple more collaborators. Indie financer Megan Ellison is negotiating to fund the picture, while Bradley Cooper is in talks to join Bale on the cast list. Not a bad start for a movie whose very existence looked kind of iffy just a few weeks ago. More details after the jump.

I can hardly keep track of all the projects David O. Russell has been attached to or rumored for since his Oscar nomination for The Fighter, but here’s another one to add to the list. Recent reports claim that he’s signed on for Sony’s American Bullshit, a 2010 Black List script by Eric Warren Singer that Ben Affleck was eyeing earlier this year. The crime drama recounts the true tale of “Abscam,” a Congressional sting set up in 1980 by the FBI in an effort to eradicate corruption. The operation was masterminded by an individual described as “the world’s greatest con man.”

THR writes that Russell may or may not stick with the movie depending on who gets cast in the two lead roles; one rumor names Christian Bale as a potential star for the project. However, according to Deadline, Russell’s reps have flat-out denied that the filmmaker has anything to do with the picture at all. We’ll have to wait and see how this one pans out, but either way, it’s worth noting that Russell’s involvement is far from a sure thing at this point.